gender references:
- Avoid “man,” “mankind,” and words ending in “-man” (such as “fireman” and “chairman”) Substitute: “humanity,” “people,” “worker,” firefighter,” or “chair.”
- Use “his or her” or “he or she” when referring to an unspecified individual; use specific gender references (“he,” “his,” “she,” “her”) as appropriate for specified individuals. Do not use “he/she” or “his/her.” Overall, though, it is preferable to avoid this usage if possible; use plural construction or recast the sentence to substitute “they” or “you.” (“Students must pay their fees,” or “You should pay your fees.”)
- UC Santa Cruz style recognizes that people have a range of pronouns. In campus publications, people can be referred to as he, she, or they. The writer should take care to avoid confusion on the reader’s part. While the use of “they” as a singular pronoun is acceptable, try to reword when possible, since this gender-neutral construction is still unfamiliar to many readers.
For example, in stories about people who identify as neither male nor female, or ask not to be referred to as he/she/him/her: Use the person’s name in place of a pronoun, or otherwise reword the sentence, whenever possible. If they/them/their use is essential, explain in the text that the person prefers a gender-neutral pronoun. Be sure that the phrasing does not imply more than one person. Here’s an example of rewording:
Hendricks said the new job is a thrill (instead of Hendricks said Hendricks is thrilled about the new job or Hendricks said they are thrilled about the new job).
- Avoid references to “both genders” or “either gender.” Instead use “all genders” or “any gender.”
general education requirements:
Lowercase unless a specific program title.
gigabytes:
(GB)
governor:
Follow AP style. Lowercase in text “The governor signed the bill”); capitalize and abbreviate if used as title before a name (“Gov. Brown signed the bill”).
GPA:
Acceptable in most usages; spell out “grade point average” (lowercase) if needed for clarity.
grade levels:
“seventh-grader,” “seventh-grade students,” “the seventh grade.”
grades and course notations:
- Capitalize course notations and grades (Pass, No Pass, Incomplete, In Progress, Withdrawal; P, NP, I, IP, W; A, B, C, D, F). Do not enclose in quotation marks or use italics; instead, rephrase sentence if needed for clarity. Use the term “notation,” unless referring to a letter grade.
- Do not use quotes or italics to set off letter grades (“a student with a B average”; “a grade of C or better”).
graduate programs:
See disciplines, majors, and programs.